Ridgecrest featured in tonight’s ‘Mythbusters’

It’s been a secret known only to the Ridgecrest Film Commission and the Bureau of Land Management for nearly six months. On Wednesday they finally came out to the public with it.

“The ‘Mythbusters’ 10th-anni-versary episode airs tonight,” said Emma Fulenwider, assistant film commissioner. “They filmed it here. And we were there.”

A longtime fan of the show, she was excited for the opportunity to be on the set last October when the “Mythbusters” strapped five JATO rockets to a Chevy Impala and set it off at Cuddeback Dry Lakebed. Fulenwider was promoted to impromptu security when the producer needed someone to block off the entrance road to prevent anyone from driving into the path of the flying car.

The iconic television show has filmed in the Ridgecrest region six times over the past 10 years, including its first episode in 2003.

Elaine Hanson, film liaison for the Ridgecrest BLM office, was also on the set with BLM rangers and firefighters to support the safety of the cast, crew and environment.

“They’re a really good production company,” said Hanson. “I was impressed. They are fun to work with, they have a small crew and they really care about the environment.” Hanson spent several days getting permission from multiple departments and watching the crew to make sure that the land was preserved for future film productions.

Since 1992 the Ridgecrest Regional Film Commission and Ridgecrest BLM have worked closely together to bring hundreds of productions like “Mythbusters” to the area. In 2012 alone, they

“The director sent me a text thanking us for our help,” Emma said. “Not ashamed to say it, I still have the text on my phone. We have a some-what thankless job, so little things like that mean a lot.”